With the Zombies trailers surfacing, the prestige explained in more detail and the game out in just over a month, fans will certainly be getting anxious to immerse themselves in this completely reworked addition to the franchise.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/10/01/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-achievements-listed/feed/0Black Ops 2 replaces killstreaks with “score streaks”http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/14/black-ops-2-replaces-killstreaks-with-score-streaks/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/14/black-ops-2-replaces-killstreaks-with-score-streaks/#commentsTue, 14 Aug 2012 06:09:36 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=285636Black Ops 2’s multiplayer will utilise a new system of score streaks in place of the more familiar killstreaks of previous Call of Duty games, with some terrific rewards available to high-scoring players.

As detailed behind closed doors at gamescom, score streaks allow players to rack up bonuses for completing objectives and activities as well as making kills. While kills will add to a player’s score streak meter, securing objectives, capturing flags, defending team mates with turrets and heat shields, and earning assist points will raise the meter significantly faster.

Score streaks unlock bonuses such as being able to call in the RX-XD, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), VTOL Warship, Lodestar and X9 Unit.

The Guardian, seen in an early trailer, is another score streak reward option. This Humvee-powered unit exists in the real world, and is good for play modes with objectives, as it has strong crowd control thanks to the ability to microwave enemies.

Another example is the AGR, a small tank unit. For the first time, players can summon an AGR by throwing a smoke canister, and have it break out of its air-dropped crate independently, saving a mad dash across the map to activate the bonus. Players can control the mech by holding X or let it wreak destruction on its own.

The Hellstorm Missile is yet another reward. Piloted from the ground, the missile can be smacked into troops on the ground or burst in mid air like a cluster bomb.

Then there’s the Escort Drone; this is an odd little beast that shouts intel at the player, including updates on your score streaks, and rampages across the battlefield making kills.

Although these sound like pretty badass bonuses, Treyarch is certain that players with correct counter-loadouts will be able to take them down; EMP grenades, for example, will drop tech fast.

In a closed-door session at gamescom, Treyarch gave more details on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s multiplayer, revealing that in an attempt to simplify the franchise’s levelling system, players will now be able to climb through the ranks of 55 standard character levels and ten prestige ranks.

Every level up will earn one unlock token. Although there are over 100 items to be unlocked, they’re gated by level, and players won’t be able to get them all. Instead, you’ll choose from a range of options available at your current level, selecting those which best suit your playstyle at the time; to see everything, you’ll need multiple prestige levels.

Unlockable items include bonuses like score streaks and wildcards as well as weapons and equipment.

Black Ops 2 will not utilise CoD points, but medals make a return; players will score extra XP for certain feats, which are repeatable.

Last time we heard from Treyarch in May, it was cautiously keen to support the eSports friendly setup but couldn’t commit.

The decision not to support dedicated servers with Modern Warfare 2 was a major sticking point for the Call of Duty series, and Treyarch won plenty of good will be supporting the tech with the original Black Ops.

Black Ops 2 is expected in November on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/18/black-ops-2-pc-to-support-dedicated-servers/feed/2Treyarch: “We’re not talking about” Black Ops 2 Wii Uhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/06/12/treyarch-were-not-talking-about-black-ops-2-wii-u/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/12/treyarch-were-not-talking-about-black-ops-2-wii-u/#commentsTue, 12 Jun 2012 02:36:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=268761It’s looking more and more like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Wii U is a thing, as supported by these gentle hints from Activision staff.

GamesIndustry has put together a number of little clues which it believes indicate the wind is blowing due Wii U at Activision. Most notably, Mark Lamia, head of Black Ops 2 developer Treyarch, made an intriguing reference to his own silence on the subject.

“It’s difficult to say because it’s something we’re not talking about. I’m intentionally being elusive because we’re not talking about it,” he said.

“We obviously have been a Nintendo developer for many years and have created many Call of Duty games on the Nintendo platform. [Wii U] is clearly a more powerful platform than its predecessor and they have obviously a unique controller and interface.”

“And they announced a Pro Controller which appears to be a controller that would be really good for first person shooter games. It just so happens that’s what we specialize in. So that’s an interesting development.”

The developer’s heavy hints were echoed more restrainedly at the executive level.

“We take out time to get our ducks in a row before pulling any trigger. We don’t have announcements today but we will be supporting Wii U,” CEO Eric Hirshberg said when asked about Black Ops 2 on Wii U.

Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia is also pretty certain it’s weally twoo, noting that the Nintendo-friendly version of Black Ops 2 “should contribute to incremental sales of the title and also the Wii U console” when it launches during the holiday season.

If we don’t get an announce in the few weeks there’s going to be a run on nacho hats. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is definitely coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/12/treyarch-were-not-talking-about-black-ops-2-wii-u/feed/0Treyarch: “Black Ops 2 to be the most provocative, shocking Call of Duty yet”http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/11/treyarch-black-ops-2-to-be-the-most-provocative-shocking-call-of-duty-yet/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/11/treyarch-black-ops-2-to-be-the-most-provocative-shocking-call-of-duty-yet/#commentsMon, 11 Jun 2012 22:12:41 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=268652That’s according to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s game director David Anthony.

Speaking during an interview with CVG, Anthony said that fans can rest assured that Black Ops 2 is going to deliver the goods.

“Obviously I can’t give anything away, but I can tell you, absolutely, that Black Ops 2 is going to be the most provocative, shocking, engaging story that a Call of Duty player has ever seen,” he said.

“I am very, very proud of how hard the team has worked, and how the game has turned out, and I can’t wait for the fans to get hold of this thing.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is in development for PS3, PC, and Xbox 360 and will be releasing on November 12, 2012.

A Wii U version was outed by Nintendo Power magazine today but is yet to be announced officially.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/11/treyarch-black-ops-2-to-be-the-most-provocative-shocking-call-of-duty-yet/feed/8Black Ops 2 modes “cater to different emotional states”http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/25/black-ops-2-modes-cater-to-different-emotional-states/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/25/black-ops-2-modes-cater-to-different-emotional-states/#commentsThu, 24 May 2012 23:43:30 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=262022Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 contains three different play modes – campaign, multiplayer and zombies – because Treyarch boss Mark Lamia understands not everyone’s after the same experience all the time.

“Those all cater to different emotional states. When you’re playing the campaign, you’re sitting down to have that sort of epic and cinematic experience, right? You want to have that first-person role in that experience,” he told Kotaku.

“But multiplayer is all about that competitive and social experience.”

“We want to create a campaign. We have a whole team that’s focused on creating the campaign. It’s what we do. It’s what we want to create. We want to create a campaign, multiplayer and zombies,” he added.

The studio boss told ArsTechnica that gamers are in for some surprises with Blacks Ops 2.

“To your readers who might say, ‘We know what a Call of Duty campaign is like,’ I don’t think that’s what they’ll be experiencing with this game,” he said.

“I think if you get Black Ops 2, you’re going to want to play the campaign, because it’s not the same type of campaign. If you haven’t played a Call of Duty campaign in a while, I’m looking forward to getting players back in and playing the campaign.”

Aslo on Kotaku, Lamia defended Treyarch’s choice of controversial military advisor Oliver North, noting that his inclusion in the project has nothing to do with politcal beliefs and everything to do with the fact that North was on the ground during the period of history Black Ops 2’s story leans on.

“If you’re a character artist, and this person has met with someone you want to portray in your game, a historical figure, you can talk to him. That’s if you’re a character artist. You can say, ‘how did he look?'” he said.

“And if you’re an animator, you can say, ‘how did he act?’ And he can tell you. These are things you can’t get very well from anywhere [else]. There’s no source material I can get that’s going to give me that kind of thing.

“And if you’re an audio guy, you say, well how did he sound? You might say, ‘well if you don’t know how is anybody else going to know?’ But that’s our form of art and entertainment.”

Call of Duty Black Ops 2 is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/25/black-ops-2-modes-cater-to-different-emotional-states/feed/0What to expect from E3 2012 (no, not Xbox 720 and PS4)http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/24/what-to-expect-from-e3-no-not-xbox-720-and-ps4/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/24/what-to-expect-from-e3-no-not-xbox-720-and-ps4/#commentsThu, 24 May 2012 11:24:18 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=261703“Teh reel next-gen” will have to wait. E3 2012 will be a re-run of last year, with triple-A bully-boys dominating software as Nintendo steals the platform-holder show with Wii U.

This is the end of the current generation, and essentially foreplay to 2013’s main event. Microsoft and Sony still have the condoms on for E3 2012. Next year is the bareback, next-gen cockfight. Don’t expect the real hardcore for another 12 months.

E3 2012 – which runs throughout the week of June 4 – is going to be a mix of excitement and despair. You can expect a re-run of last year. This will be a show dominated by a strong triple-A software cluster and Wii U, with other aspects of the games industry largely ignored as Microsoft and Sony hold steady.

Most of the games to be shown in LA next month are already announced and are currently being forced into the hype funnel. Both Microsoft and Sony will have software surprises, but they’ll be peripheral to pressing attention on Christmas 360 and PS3 content. Aside from a few games, you already know what’s going to be shown.

And forget any notion of a 720 or PS4 reveal. We’ve said it what feels like 100 times, but please don’t kid yourself: it’s next year.

Microsoft’s core centrepiece will, of course, be Halo 4. Expect Black Ops II to feature prominently in the press conference, as will Kinect. Forza Horizon will be shown. You shouldn’t expect any earthquakes here. Yes, there’ll be US service announcements and there will definitely be at least one core surprise, but we’re still very much in this generation as far as Microsoft’s concerned. The press conference will reflect that.

Sony’s first-party effort will revolve around at least two largely unknown core products and Vita. The two titles are likely to generate a great deal of excitement. Also expect Sony to attempt to play a strong “Vita isn’t dead” card. Big core games on the small screen will be a focus for Sony this year, but, again, expect solidity rather than megatonnage. You may well be blown away by what’s on show, but it’s doubtful you’re going to be too shocked by any of the announcements.

Apart from the partnership deal between PlayStation and a leading cloud gaming service, obviously.

It’s Wii U’s show

The star of E3 this year will be Wii U. Nintendo’s LA mission is to completely lord proceedings, and you should expect a procession of publisher commitment. We already know about the reworked controller, and we’ll most likely get final specs. Following a muddled reveal in 2011, Wii U will be shown as a complete, finished product – with a healthy core line-up – ready for release in 2012. Don’t fall off your chair when Nintendo confirms a global Christmas launch, although, as Nintendo said last month, Wii U’s exact launch date and pricing for each market will come “sometime after E3″ (thanks, Nathan).

The press conferences (all times PST)

Outside of the platform-holders, the third-parties will show a similar solidity to last year. EA will have Medal of Honor, Need for Speed, Crysis 3, Star Wars and more. Expect some nice core surprises. Activision will be all about Black Ops II. Square Enix will have a good show, focusing heavily on Tomb Raider and Hitman.

Ubisoft will be one to watch. Assassin’s Creed III and Far Cry 3 are the main events, but you should be expecting a show-stopping reveal. There’s a big headline here.

Take-Two may will say little. Grand Theft Auto is usually left to stand alone from E3. It may appear, but really don’t count on it. E3’s all about Christmas retail, and it now seems certain we’re not going to see GTA V until next spring at the earliest. The publisher’s big show game will be Borderlands 2.

But, to reiterate, E3 will suffer from the same flaws as last year. It will be a gameshow-like event focused on the super-spend, and will all but ignore PC, indie and mobile due to its format. E3 2012 will be a steady showcase of core console gaming, with the big guns lined up in a neat row behind hardware format generals.

This is the end of the current generation, and essentially foreplay to 2013’s main event. Microsoft and Sony still have the condoms on for E3 2012. Next year is the bareback, next-gen cockfight. Don’t expect the real hardcore for another 12 months.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/24/what-to-expect-from-e3-no-not-xbox-720-and-ps4/feed/30Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 PC to take advantage of DirectX 11http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-2-pc-to-take-advantage-of-directx-11/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-2-pc-to-take-advantage-of-directx-11/#commentsWed, 23 May 2012 02:18:39 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=261130Treyarch has overhauled its engine so that the PC version of Black Ops 2 can capitalise on the power of DirectX 11.

“We have re-engineered our engine so that it takes advantage of the efficiencies that DX 11 provides,” studio head Mark Lamia told Gamefront.

“We’ve worked on our graphics system, the game looks phenomenal on the PC.”

Lamia said Treyarch has a dedicated platform team, which boasts many of the same members as those who worked on the PC version of World at War and the first Black Ops.

“It’s important to us,” he noted. “We’ve been working on our anti-cheat systems. We really wanna protect the integrity of the experience that people have online.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November.

The full interview touches on strike force missions, secrets, and the game’s plot; check it out below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-2-pc-to-take-advantage-of-directx-11/feed/7Call of Duty: Black Ops II still about mano-a-mano combathttp://www.vg247.com/2012/05/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-still-about-mano-a-mano-combat/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-still-about-mano-a-mano-combat/#commentsWed, 23 May 2012 01:28:40 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=261122Despite Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s futuristic setting, complete with walking tanks and drones, in the end it comes down to human conflict.

“The main villain is not a robot. The main villain is not a drone. The main villain is a human,” Actisivion’s Daniel Suarez told VentureBeat when asked whether Black Ops will carry on the franchise’s traditions of infantry-focused warfare.

The villain is, of course, Raul Menendez, a “monster” whose world view was shaped by the Cold War.

“The Cold War was really fertile ground for us,” Suarez noted; his comments suggest that it was Treyarch’s research into the era for the first Black Ops which inspired the jump to a future setting.

Watch the full video interview below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-still-about-mano-a-mano-combat/feed/2New Black Ops II trailer to air in Champions League finalhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/05/17/new-black-ops-ii-trailer-to-air-during-champions-league-final/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/17/new-black-ops-ii-trailer-to-air-during-champions-league-final/#commentsThu, 17 May 2012 09:06:30 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=259599Activision will air a new Black Ops II trailer during the Champions League final on Saturday between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, according to CVG. No word on what the trailer, which will air simultaneously on ITV 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD will feature, but expect all kinds of futuregasms, though.

The Treyarch shooter launches on November 15 for PS3, 360 and PC.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/17/new-black-ops-ii-trailer-to-air-during-champions-league-final/feed/1Report – Black Ops 2 setting in violation of Infinity Ward’s contracthttp://www.vg247.com/2012/05/09/report-black-ops-2-setting-in-violation-of-infinity-wards-contract/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/09/report-black-ops-2-setting-in-violation-of-infinity-wards-contract/#commentsWed, 09 May 2012 04:03:55 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=257093GameInformer has hold of a set of legal documents which suggest the future setting of Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 may violate Activision’s contract with Infinity Ward. The primary franchise developer apparently retains the rights to any Call of Duty games set post-Vietnam. We’re no legal eagles, and you’d think Activision would have this covered, but it might be worth bearing in mind as the publisher continues its legal dispute with former Infinity Ward leads and Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/09/report-black-ops-2-setting-in-violation-of-infinity-wards-contract/feed/5Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 revealed: every detailhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/05/01/next-cod-unveiled-tonight-all-roads-head-to-black-ops-2/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/01/next-cod-unveiled-tonight-all-roads-head-to-black-ops-2/#commentsTue, 01 May 2012 07:00:32 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=254901Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 for a November 13 worldwide release, envisioning a new Cold War in the year 2025.

Activision released the first trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The video confirms a 2025 setting, featuring glimpses of Los Angeles under attack. A Middle Eastern setting, robots and even horses are spotted in the trailer.

Sgt Frank Woods, the co-protagonist of the original Black Ops, also appears in the video. The game will take place in two timelines: the late 1980s as the end of the Cold War as Alex Mason from Black Ops 1 and 2025 as Mason’s son David.

The story sees the US and China in a second Cold War over Rare Earth Elements, used to built tech devices and military weapons. Part of the war is also instigated by antagonist Raul Menendez, who’s hacked into drones and various robotic weapons to kick off the war’s combat. The 80s timeline will show what started Menendez’s path down the events in Black Ops 2.

Its story will come from co-writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight David Goyer.

Black Ops 2 will supposedly answer the question of what happened at the end of the first game, according to Kotaku, regarding Mason. When asked about the return of Gary Oldman’s Reznov character, Treyarch boss Mark Lamia and game director Dave Anthony played coy.

The first wave starts May 2 with the offer of a limited edition, two-sided poster. PowerUp Rewards members who pre-order by June 30 will also net a Prestige Token for MW3 as well as all bonuses coming in the additional waves which are to be announced in July, August, and October, respectively.

The publisher has gone live with an official website for the game, which will release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 13, and released two early screens:

In the wake of the trailer’s release, information has begun hitting in earnest. Although multiplayer is still largely under wraps, Treyarch boss Mark Lamia confirmed the game will have the biggest and best zombies mode to date. The developer hopes to support eSports, but won’t commit to dedicated servers just yet.

Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar told OPM UK multiplayer would go down “a different route” than whats previously been on offer.

“Lets take all this stuff we had and strip it down to its core. Let’s challenge these long held assumptions we’ve had about how systems work. Why does create a class work the way it does. Why do killstreaks work the way they do. Why is the unlock progression exactly the way its been before. Why do we have to start with what we had before?”

Vonderhaar added Black Ops 2 would have a “well-designed gameplay system” instead of refining it from past games.

“Let’s challenge the assumption we have to start from the game we had before. Figure what’s really important to the game and keeping it simple and fast and pure and clean. Let’s get rid of some baggage. Let’s just create a really well created gameplay system period; regardless of whether we had it before.”

On the single-player side, the series will venture into non-linearity for the first time with Strike Force missions, allowing players to take on various roles around the battlefield and directly impact the game’s plot. The game’s story follows on directly from the first Black Ops, and is part of a different canon than other Call of Duty games.

Retired US marine lieutenant colonel Oliver North, who was convicted of selling weapons to Iran in the late 80s before being cleared on appeal, has been brought in as a consultant to the game. Watch him talk about his involvement in the game below.

Activision has 300 staffers on Black Ops 2 at the moment, and some of the tech Treyarch is using is shared between studios.

Treyarch has also promised (via OneofSwords) a “visual overhaul” for the game. The studio’s Dan Bunting showed off an unpopulated level from Socotra Island in Yemen featuring work on HDR lighting, self-shadowing, bounce lighting and reveal mapping, a new texture technique.

PC players will be able to “take advantage” of the game if they have DirectX11-enabled hardware.